Advertising device



Oct. 11, 1938.

C. W. STEVENS ADVERTISING DEVICE Filed Dec 12, 1956 Patented Oct. 11, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT FF ADVERTISING DEVICE Corwin W. Stevens, Los Angeles, Calif. Application December 12, 1936, Serial No. 115,549

1 Claim. (CI. 40-30) My invention relates to an advertising device and has for its principal object the provision of a relatively simple, interesting and attractive device having the general structure of the toy or plaything generally known as Jacobs ladder and to mark the articulated members of the device and certain of the connections between said members with letters, characters, illustrations or the like which appear in sequence as the device is operated to cause the articulated members to swing from one position to another.

Generally speaking, the device known as J acobs ladder is composed of a plurality of thin blocks, plates or panels which may be formed of wood, metal, celluloid or any suitable material, and generally articulated in structure. Thus each plate or panel has two faces that are adapted to receive letters, characters, symbols or the like, and certain of the members that connect the plates or panels have two faces that are exposed at certain times during the operation of the device, and thus the articulated structure is capable of showing in sequence four sets of letters, characters, symbols and the like, and which may be arranged with relation to each other to form words, or a series of related characters, symbols or pictures that constitute attractive advertising matter.

My improved advertising device or novelty, constructed in smaller sizes, are adapted to be manipulated by hand and the larger sizes may be located in window displays and on large advertising panels or bill-boards, and said advertising devices operated intermittently or continuously by either electric or spring motors.

With the foregoing and other objects in View my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangements of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of an advertising device constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the reverse side of the device.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of a modified form of the device. 7

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an elevational view of the obverse and reverse faces of one of the members that connects the-plates or panels of the folding de- V108.

Fig. 8 is an elevational view of the obverse and reverse faces'of one of the plates or panels.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing which illustrate a preferred form of my invention, l0, 10a, lflb and H10 designate four of theplates, panels or blocks forming the upper portion of the device, and these blocks are '10 connected in the manner hereinafter more fully described to provide the articulated device generally known as Jacobs ladder, and said plates or panels are preferably, though not necessarily, substantially rectangular in form and they may be composed of any suitable material, for instance, cardboard, wood, metal or composition such as celluloid. I

One end of a flexible or semi-flexible piece, of material II is suitably secured by an adhesive or otherwise to the upper portion of one of the faces of the uppermost block or panel I0, and this member H extends upwardly over the upper edge of said member Ill arid thence downwardly over the face of said upper member ID opposite the face to which the end of member H is secured.

The width of member I I is less than the width of the block or panel [0 to which it is secured and thus the side edges of member II are inset slightly with respect to the side edges of the block or plate to which it is secured.

. The lower portion of member II extends between the lower end of block'or panel In and the upper end of block or panel Illa and the lower end of said member H is suitably secured to the upper portion of the face of block or panel Illa that is on the same side with the face of block or panel ID to which the upper edge of member H is secured.

Secured to the lower portion of the face of block or panel Illa opposite the face to which the lower end of member H is secured, isthe upper end portion of a flexible or semi-flexible member Ila similar to member II, and the upper portion of this member Ila extends between the lower end of block or panel Illa and the upper end of block or panel lob. L

The lower portion of member Ila extends between the lower end of block or panel I 01) and the next lower block or panel [to and the end of; this member I la is turned upwardly and secured to the lower portion of the face of block or panel 10b on the opposite side from the face that is covered by the body portion of member Ha.

The upper portion of a flexible orsemi-flexible 5'5 member III), which is practically identical with the members II and Ila, is suitably secured to the upper portion of the face of block or panel llib that is covered by member I la and said member llb extends downwardly over the face of block or panel lllb opposite the face that is covered by member Ila and the lower portion of said member Ilb passes between the lower end of block or panel "lb and the upper end of the next lower block or panel I00.

The lower end of member llb is suitably secured to the upper portion of one of the faces of block or panel and on the same side with member Ha.

This method of connecting-the blocks or panels to provide the articulated structure known as Jacob's ladder is continued through the length of the device and both side faces of the blocks or panels 10a, I01), I00 and the other blocks or panels of the device bear letters, characters, symbols, pictures orthe like which may be arranged to form words or related advertising matter when read in sequence.

Both faces of the connecting members ll, Ha, ilb and the other similar members, bear letters, characters, symbols, pictures or the like, which constitute words or data that may be used for advertising purposes.

In order that the articulated blocks or panels may swing outwardly and downwardly so that they appear to unfold as the device is operated, connecting members, in addition to the letter or character bearing members ll, Ha, Nb and the like, are provided and these additional connecting devices are preferably in the form of narrow tape-like strips of flexible or semi-flexible material, and hey are applied to the faces of the blocks or panels adjacent the side edges thereof, and to the sides of the relatively wide character bearing members ll, Ma and 1 lb.

. The upper ends of a pair of these narrow connecting members designated by the numeral I! are arranged on one of the side faces of block or panel Ilia adjacent the side edges thereof and the upper portions of these narrow members l2 extend between the lower. end of upper block or panel I!) and the upper end of block or panel Illa, and said upper ends are secured to the lower portion of the face or block of panel ID on the opposite side from connecting member H.

The lower portions of these: narrow connecting members l2 extend between the lower end of block or panel Illa and the upper end of block or panel I01) and said ends are secured to the lower portion of the side face of block or panel Illa on the same side to which the lower end of connecting member H is attached.

The upper portionsof a second pa1r of narrow connecting members l2a pass between thelower end of block or panel H and the upper end of block or panel I00 and the said ends are suitably secured to the upper portionof the face of block or panel lOa. immediately beneath the connecting members l2. These connecting members |2w extend downwardly over the side portions of the face of block or panel [Ba on the opposite side from the connecting members I! and the lower portions of said connecting members |2a pass between the lower end of block or panel Ilia and the upper end of block or panel I027. The lower ends of these connecting members 12a. are suitably secured to the upper portion of the face of block or panel Illb on the same side with the connecting members l2.

The arrangement of the narrow tape-like strips that connect the side portions of theblocks or panels is continued throughout the length of the device, and said narrow connecting members, together with the wider character bearing members ll, Ila and llb permit the blocks or panels to swing outwardly and appear to unfold as the device is manipulated and which manipulation consists of turning the uppermost block or panel 10 upside down.

It will be understood that as the device is manipulated and the ,blocks orapanels change the different letters, characters or picby the faces of the blocks positions, tures that are carried or panels and the wide connecting members H,

Ha and 1 lb, change positions so that when read in sequence the letters form words and the characters or pictures combine to illustrate or to present advertising. matter or the like in an attractive and interesting manner.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have illustrated a modified form of thedevice wherein a series of blocks or panels l5 that correspond with the blocks or panels 10, lfla and H11) are connected so as to swing downwardly and reverse their positions as the position of the uppermost block or panel is reversed and the connecting means comprises relatively wide members. 16 that are approximately the same width as the block or panels and which wide connectingmembers l6 correspond with the connecting members ll, Ila and ill) previously described, and said wide members being connected to the blocksor panels in the same manner that the members I l, Ila and Nb are connected. 7 1 l V In this modifiedconstruction flexible members ll of. heavy thread, cord or the like, take the place of the relatively narrow connecting members 12 and, l2a.,,These connecting members II are arranged between the blocks or panels IS in practically the same manner as the connecting members [land l2a, but they are disposed centrally or midway between the side edges of the blocks .or panels l5 and in order that the connecting means between the blocks and panels may function properly the I wider connecting members I6 are slotted lengthwise at points intermediatetheir side edges, and which slots are designated by the numeral l8.

In this form of the device both faces of the block or panels l5.and both faces of the wide connedting members l6 bear letters, characters, illustrations or the like which are arranged so as to constitute attractive and interesting advertising matter.

In the manipulation of the smaller forms of useduin window displays or for outdoor advertising purposes a suitable motor may be utilized for intermittently reversing the position of the uppermost block or panel. I One of the particularadvantageous features of my invention is the formation of an articu- ,,late,d deVice composed of a series of blocks, panels or plates and connections .betweensaid blocks, plates or panels, and bothconnections and blocks being reversible so as to display four diiferent sets of surfaces that bear letters, characters, illustrations or the like.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided an advertising device or novelty that involves the principles of the well known Jacob's ladder, and the construction of the device and particularly the connections between same, together with the articulated plates or panels, bearing letters, characters or the like on both faces so as to provide a maximum degree of advertising matter and which latter is displayed in an interesting and attractive manner.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved advertising device may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

An advertising device, a series of panel-like members of similar size and shape, narrow strips of flexible material arranged on the side portions of alternate panel-like members, the ends of most member will successively reverse their posi-' tions subsequent to the reversal of position of the uppermost member, both faces of which members bear characters that appear in subsequence as the device is operated, a single series of wide flexible members arranged on both faces of alternate panels between the first mentioned series of narrow flexible members, the ends of which wide flexible members are connected to the ends of the panels so that the latter may reverse their positions, which wide series of flexible members reverse their positions simultaneously with the reversal of the positions of the panels and both faces of which Wide flexible members bear characters that appear in vertical sequence as the device is operated and to cooperate with the characters on the exposed faces of the next adjacent upper and lower panels to form words.

CORWIN W. STEVENS. 

